At the dawn of the modern era, the discovery of the intentional movement of electrons in a controlled environment to produce the phenomena of electricity was monumental. Once electricity could be caused at will and safely delivered to a particular location upon demand, it became almost indispensible to the stability and progress of mankind, especially in the developing countries around the world. Quickly, electricity's vast usefulness became apparent and helped launch much of the world into the modern industrial revolution. From aiding an individual in reading at night by providing power to a lamp to assisting a multinational corporation in operating a factory by providing power to heavy-duty machinery, electricity and its usefulness have not only transformed society but has propelled society far beyond imagination.
Governments, such as the United States, along with other strategic partners set out to build an infrastructure (i.e., national electrical grids) that would deliver electricity to nearly every home and business in both rural and urban areas. In the United States, electricity was soon available in nearly every community upon demand. The delivery of electricity to the masses necessitated a means for allowing each recipient to tap into and out of the electric power grid at will. As a result, the electric socket was born. The electric socket enables electrically operated equipment to be connected to the power supply.
Electrical plugs and sockets differ in voltage and current rating, shape, size and type of connectors. However, over the years, standards have emerged in different countries as to the rating, shape, size and type of electrical sockets/plugs. For example, there are currently fifteen (15) types of standard electrical outlet plugs in use today, each of which has been assigned a letter by the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration (ITA), starting with the letter “A” and moving through the alphabet. In the United States, type “A” and type “B” have been standardized and are used in homes and businesses across the country.
Type “A” is a class II ungrounded plug with two flat parallel prongs and is known as National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) 1-15. It has two flat 1.5 mm thick blades, measuring 15.9 to 18.3 mm in length and spaced 12.7 mm apart. It is generally polarized and can only be inserted in a socket one way because the two blades do not have the same width. The blade connected to the neutral is 7.9 mm wide and the hot blade is 6.3 mm wide. The socket for type “A” is constructed to accept the design of this type of plug.
Type “B” is a class I grounded plug and designated as American standard NEMA 5-15. It has two flat 1.5 mm thick blades, spaced 12.7 mm apart, measuring 15.9 to 18.3 mm in length and 6.3 mm in width. It also has a 4.8 mm diameter round or U-shaped earth pin, which is 3.2 mm longer than the two flat blades, for grounding purposes. The socket for type “B” is constructed to accept the design of this type of plug.
For decades, type “A” and “B” standardized plugs/sockets were sufficient in enabling electrical devices to access and tap into the electric power grid for power supply. However, with the advent of modern technology, such as the microprocessor and microchip, electronic devices have proliferated, particularly in recent years. Furthermore, electronic devices have become smaller, more mobile and more personalized. As a result, the amount of personal and portable electronic devices created, manufactured and used has grown exponentially. For example, in the last decade, the use of smartphones, tablets, notebook computers, netbooks and ebook readers, to name a few, have become commonplace among individuals nearly around the world. It is not unusual for an individual to use and personally carry one or more personal electronic devices with them throughout the day.
While these types of electronic devices have helped launched the world into a new digital era, they still must be powered and, in some cases, charged and recharged, typically via an electric socket/plug. As a result, electrical sockets are increasingly in high demand—much more so than just a decade ago. But, the electrical sockets of today, namely type “A” or “B,” are no longer sufficient to meet today's needs. As the world is thrust more and more into the digital era and personal electronic devices continue to flourish in popularity, the electrical sockets of today are becoming less sufficient and, in some cases, even less safe.
For example, the heads of many household electric cord plugs are increasingly becoming larger and more complex. Additionally, smartphones and thin laptops introduced over the past decade heralded the inadvertent conversion of duplex outlets into single-use outlets. In the internet age of today, the sleek and cool factor in electric and electronic product designs has resulted in regular household and commercial outlets being inadvertently converted into single device plug in, due to the bulkiness of the cord plugs. Thus, a second device or even a regular electric cord plug is denied the sharing of that same outlet location. Therefore, the total number of devices that could be plugged into a household outlet (such as a type “A” or “B” outlet) has been effectively halved while, at the same time, the number of electronic devices used has multiplied. This has put even more of a demand on the value of outlets/electrical sockets as they become scarce due to overwhelming and constant use by more and more electrical devices.
Also, some electrical devices have long, thick cords extending from the head of the plug parallel to the wall of the outlet or the face cover of the outlet. The cord itself may block other devices from sharing the same outlet. This reduces the outlets usefulness and prevents its full use.
Additionally, there is also the prospect that two plugs are forced—or jammed—into sharing the same outlet. When this happens, an external stress is applied between the electric cord and the electric plug. As a result, a cord breaking or internal wire fraying can occur between the electric plug and the electric cord, thereby causing a short circuit, which may cause a fire. Further, the short circuit may even cause an electrical hazard for nearby individuals.
What is needed is a device capable of receiving one or more male plugs in a unique arrangement wherein such arrangement decreases the amount of space required for the plugs when connected to the device and reduces the risk of electrical hazards to individuals and property. More specifically, what is needed is a duplex socket, multiplex socket or receptacle capable of receiving one or more male plugs wherein the female receiving members of the socket/receptacle are uniquely arranged to reduce the amount of spaced required for the male plugs when the male plugs are received in the socket/receptacle, so that more plugs can be received in the socket/receptacle and/or received in a different orientation all the while decreasing the electrical hazards to person or property.
The aforementioned device capable of receiving one or more male plugs wherein the receiving female members of the device are arranged to efficiently reduce the amount of space required on the device for the receiving of the one or more male plugs and/or permit the one or more male plugs to be received in a different and more efficient orientation is a novel and nonobvious invention that meets the needs described above. Disclosed herein are embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be noted that the present invention can comprise additional embodiments not necessarily disclosed in this paper.
One embodiment of the present invention is a device for imparting electrical energy such as electricity, which comprises at least three female receiving ports for receiving the blades from one or more male plugs wherein the at least three female receiving ports are positioned within the device side by side such that the first female receiving port is a port for receiving a hot blade, the second female receiving port is a port for receiving a neutral blade and the third female receiving port is a port for receiving a hot blade. The unique arrangement and position of the at least three female receiving ports permits a plug to be received rotated/reoriented. For example, the device can receive a plug in one orientation, or, if necessary, the plug can be rotated and reoriented 180 degrees and received. This occurs when the plug is rotated 180 degrees and instead of being received by the first and second three female receiving ports of the device, it is received by the second and third female receiving ports. Thus, a plug can be received one way or rotated 180 degrees and received another way.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes the at least three female receiving ports positioned within the device as described above as well as at least two grounding female receiving ports positioned within the device wherein the first of the at least two grounding female receiving ports is positioned between and above the first female receiving port and the second female receiving ports such that the first of the at least two grounding female receiving ports permits the reception of a right-side up U-shaped pin and wherein the second of the at least two grounding female receiving ports is positioned between and below the second female receiving port and the third female receiving port such that the second of the at least two grounding female receiving ports permits the reception of an upside down U-shaped pin.
Yet, another embodiment of the present invention includes the at least three female receiving ports positioned within the device as described above as well as at least two grounding female receiving ports positioned within the device wherein the first of the at least two grounding female receiving ports is positioned between and below the first female receiving port and the second female receiving ports such that the first of the at least two grounding female receiving ports permits the reception of a upside down U-shaped pin and wherein the second of the at least two grounding female receiving ports is positioned between and above the second female receiving port and the third female receiving port such that the second of the at least two grounding female receiving ports permits the reception of an right-side up U-shaped pin.
Further, another embodiment of the present invention includes the at least three female receiving ports positioned within the device as described above as well as at least one universal serial bus (USB) port positioned within the device for connecting electronic devices having a USB connectivity port to the USB port of the device.